Historic Estudillo Mansion was built by San Jacinto's first postmaster

The stately Estudillo Mansion with the white wrap-around balcony is framed by picturesque bushes, awaiting regular use.

The brick mansion, which was built in 1884, now is the location of some city events, including the annual Fourth of July Celebration. But otherwise, the mansion is not open to the public.

The home was built by Francisco Estudillo Jr., San Jacinto's first postmaster and an appointed Mission Indian agent for the federal government. In that role, he was responsible for 32 reservations in Southern and Central California.

He also was elected to the local school board and served as San Jacinto's second mayor from 1890 to 1892, according to information from the city of San Jacinto, which owns the building.

The mansion is built on land that was part of a 35,000-acre Mexican land grant given to Estudillo's father, Jose Antonio Estudillo, in 1842.

Through the years, the mansion has had several owners. It was purchased by Riverside County in 1992 because of its historical significance and value to the San Jacinto community. The building was severely damaged by the Landers-Big Bear earthquakes in June 1992. The county turned over ownership of the mansion to San Jacinto in 1997.

Since then, the house has seen improvements, including an earthquake retrofit and stabilization.

The work has been funded primarily by state and federal historic preservation grants. In late 2008 and early 2009, attention was turned to the interior, including the removal of more recent modifications to the house. Damaged plaster and missing planks also were replaced. The goal, ultimately, is to restore the house to its late 1800s heyday.

The mansion is typically only open to the public at San Jacinto's annual Fourth of July celebration. The grounds of the mansion, known as Francisco Estudillo Heritage Park, are open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

The San Jacinto Museum is located on the mansion's grounds, along with a picturesque water conservation garden. The garden, parking lot and other improvements were completed last spring.

The Estudillo Restoration Association sponsors a number of fundraising efforts. The group meets the third Saturday of each month at the mansion.

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